How virtual reality will save lives

The National Crime Scene Cleanup Association recently announced their plans on developing and marketing a first of it’s kind VR Training software designed to teach professionals courses on how to properly and safely clean up everything from blood borne pathogens, bodily fluids, chemical spills and viruses/bacteria – without ever being in harm’s way.

This initiative, dubbed ‘Safe Training VR’ or ‘STVR’, will put hazmat workers, doctors, nurses, EMTs, or firefighters in a virtual space where they are required to remediate biohazard chemical spills, crime scenes, asbestos, or even dangerous viruses, such as Ebola or MRSA. This enables professionals to get out of the standard ‘text book’ classroom and into a dynamic virtual environment with no safety concerns.

The announcement comes just months after another National Crime Scene Cleanup Association project named ‘Safeguard’ went into beta testing. Safeguard is a Virtual Crime Scene Cleanup simulator, designed to educate and teach the public about the hazards of crime scene cleanup, a very little know industry, and educate them on what equipment, techniques, standard operating procedures and chemicals go into a cleanup. Due to a overwhelming response on Safeguard, the National Crime Scene Cleanup Association decided to venture into how virtual reality could people learn about the industry, as well as help people in the industry.

The real world applications for such software will come to the interest of hospitals, law enforcement, paramedics, hazmat workers and future employees. An Authentic training experience is crucial. STVR currently has two Rutgers University OSHA 501C Outreach Trainers help develop it. Professionals in each specialized field as well will be contracted to help make sure the software is accurate down to every intricate detail.

“STVR encompasses many courses and situations that I have learned over the years, as well as a plethora of scenarios I never thought I’d encounter.” says National Crime Scene Cleanup Association president and one of the OSHA 501C Outreach Trainers, James Michel. “We finally have developed a way to minimize risk while teaching real world applications.”

STVR will undergo internal development and testing over the next couple of months, and then company has plans in the future to license and market the software so that other companies and organizations can take advantage of this breaking new technology. Everywhere, People in the field will be safer as a result.